Be prepared
One of the first Knapdale beavers
BE PREPARED
Paul Ritchie used to work with the Scottish Wildlife Trust as Director of Finance and Resources. He has seen fi rst-hand how important gifts in Wills are to the Trust’s work. Here he talks about his personal decision to make a Will and include a gift to the Trust.
Making a Will isn’t something I thought about until quite recently. On the one hand, I know the odds are that I won’t die for a few decades yet. On the other, I have friends and colleagues who have seen partners, brothers and sisters pass away in their 30s and 40s. I’m a fairly organised person and a
believer in the motto ‘be prepared’ so I took the decision and wrote my Will. I’m now rather hoping it will quietly gather dust for many years.
Once I had made the decision to write
a Will, I wanted to make sure it reflected who I am. On and off I find myself thinking about what’s important to me in my life. It comes down to two main things: people and the planet we live on. I try to reflect this in all aspects of my life, which is why I wanted to do so in my Will. Gifts to family members feature
prominently, and so do gifts to charities, including the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Like many people, I have more than one charity
for Scotland’s wildlife, I would return some of the animals we humans have killed off. I’m a big fan of the Scottish Beaver Trial and would love to see a wild lynx here one day.
If I had one wish
Paul Ritchie
Lynx
which is close to my heart. My gift to each is a proportion of my estate – which may turn out to be a lot of money or a little. Either way, I know it will make a difference to causes I care about.
There is no ‘typical’ person who leaves a gift in their Will to the Scottish Wildlife Trust. What each shares is a deeply held wish to help protect Scotland’s wildlife for the future. If you want to talk to us about leaving a gift in your Will, call Liz on 0131 312 4772.
NOVEMBER 2020 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 15
© Steve Gardner © Lefteris Katsouromallis
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36